This invention relates to vents for venting closed compartments (e.g. passenger compartment) of vehicles.
Vehicles such as automobiles and trucks have one or more closed compartments for such purposes as storage (i.e. a trunk or boot) or occupancy (i.e. passenger compartment). Undesirable fumes (e.g. cigarette smoke, offgases from vehicle construction materials, vapors from transported materials, etc.) can collect in the compartments. Over the years, different schemes have been proposed for ventilating these compartments. The present invention provides a low-cost vent for closed compartments of a vehicle.
The present invention contemplates a vehicle having a compartment (e.g. passenger compartment) that is vented through an opening in the base of a radio antenna secured to the roof of the compartment. More specifically, the invention relates to a vehicle having a roof defining a closed compartment, and a radio antenna base secured to the roof at its highpoint. A hole is provided through the roof and an opening through the antenna base. The opening in the antenna base is aligned with the hole in the roof so as to communicate and vent the compartment to the atmosphere. Preferably, the opening has a fist inlet end adjacent the roof hole, and a second, exhaust end that opens to the atmosphere and includes a barrier for restricting intrusion of rain, sleet or snow into opening. Suitable barriers include one or more downwardly angling louvers or a nozzle inter alia. The opening in the antenna base will preferably include a heater (e.g. electrical heating element) for preventing ice or snow from building-up and blocking the opening. The heater will most preferably be located adjacent the second end of the opening in the base. The base has an upwind side that faces toward the front of the vehicle and a lee side that faces toward the back of the vehicle. The second/exhaust end of the opening in the base is located at the lee end of the base such that, when the vehicle is moving, air currents produce a low pressure region behind the base that serves to draw undesirable gases/fumes from the compartment and reduce the pressure within the compartment for drawing fresh air into the compartment. Most preferably, the vent hole will be located at the high point of the compartment so that lighter fumes may escape the compartment by gravity alone when the vehicle is idle.